Animal Rights - Facts

Animal rights activists make news every once in a while, but seldom do their efforts get subjected to the popularity which politicians and celebrities get. These activists deserve a standing ovation for the work they do; the fact that they don't get it is another thing altogether, but they do deserve it. It is because of their efforts that several companies have stopped exploiting animals to manufacture their products and scientific fraternity has stopped resorting to animal experimentation. When it comes to animal rights, facts about it are far from the basic knowledge that a layman has, and that is where these activists come into picture and work for the welfare of animals.

Animal Rights: An Overview

Animal rights, also referred to as animal liberation, is a concept which is based on the idea that the basic interests of animal species should be given equal importance as the basic interests of human beings. The concept encompasses various rights which would make sure that these animals don't get exploited or abused by human beings for their vested interests. According to this concept, the use of animals for any practice owing to which they are subjected to pain or suffering, right from their use in circus or zoo to animal experimentation and fur trade, is unethical, and has to be dealt with stringent laws. Animal abuse facts and statistics reveal that millions of animals bear the brunt of these unethical practices every year in various parts of the world.

Animal Rights Facts

While animal rights is a concept, the movement which is based on this concept of animal welfare is known as the animal rights movement. This movement stresses on the fact that animals deserve the same treatment as humans do, and humans shouldn't behave with animals as if they are their property. Given below are some interesting facts about animal rights, with special emphasis on the animal rights movement, the history of animal rights and various laws pertaining to this concept.

Animal Rights Movement
The animal rights movement, also known as the animal liberation movement or animal advocacy movement, is a global program which seeks an end to moral as well as legal distinction between humans and animals. The proponents of this movement are of the opinion that humans should treat non-human beings in a humane manner, and not as if they were their property. This movement strongly opposes animal testing, the use of animals in entertainment and cloth manufacturing industry, as well as for food. The animal rights movement follows a three-tier structure - philosophical debate, legal development and direct action.

Animal Rights History
While many people are of the opinion that the concept of animal rights came into existence in 1975, with Peter Singer's book titled 'Animal Liberation', the fact is that it came into existence with the formation of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) way back in 1866. The ASPCA was founded by Henry Berg in order to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. In 1966, i.e. exactly a hundred years after ASPCA came into existence, the Congress passed the Animal Welfare Act, which forms the basis of animal rights laws in the United States today. Other important milestones for animal rights activists were the formation of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) to protect the interests of animals through legal system in 1979 and the formation of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1980.

Animal Rights Laws
In the United States of America, the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 is the primary Federal Law which regulates cruelty to animals. Since its formulation in 1966, it has been subjected to six amendments, one each in 1970, 1976, 1985, 1990, 2002 and 2007. Even though it is the only proper law which regulates the treatment of animals in the United States, it has been subjected to severe criticism for exclusion of animals which are specially bred for research, food and cold blooded animals. Other than this the Animal Welfare Act, each of the 50 states in the US have their own set of laws regulating animal cruelty. Out of these, 46 states have felony penalties for certain forms of animal abuse. According to the annual report compiled by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, states of California, Illinois, Maine, Michigan and Oregon had the best anti-cruelty laws in the country.

That covered a significant bit of information about animal rights, facts and statistics about which have always eluded the common man's mind. Going through this information must have given you an idea about the importance of animal rights, as well as the importance of following them. While there do exist laws regulating animal cruelty, the need of the hour is to amend them, so as to make them more concrete, and implement them at the grass root level.